R. J. Bailot juggles rescued dogs at his family's Acadia home. He is being honoured this weekend by the international fund for Animal Welfare.
Photograph by : Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald

The scene was straight out of a horror movie.

Dead animals--an ox, a dog and an exotic bird--were left to rot inside cages.

Meanwhile, a pack of 20 basset hounds ate from a pile of rotting animal carcasses in a nearby yard. Water left inside cages was foul and undrinkable.

Horrified by the conditions at the roadside zoo near Calgary, R. J. Bailot felt compelled to act.

...

Since then, Bailot, now 23, has dedicated his life to animal welfare.

He rescues unwanted parrots and delivers them to a refuge on Vancouver Island. He rescues and fosters dogs and cats for Pound Rescue, an Okotoks-based group. He organizes spay and neuter clinics on the Blood reserve. He has also been known to drive to the dump at Stand Off to feed starving dogs.

He also volunteers for Rescue and Sanctuary for Threatened Animals (RASTA) in De Winton and is a founding member of Responsible Sourcing of Pets committee.

Nearly two years ago, Bailot launched the Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force with two friends. He is also the Calgary spokesperson for Zoo Check.